


Her Shimmer on Him

by PonderRose



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Drama & Romance, F/M, Forbidden Love, Hate to Love, High School, Love, Love Triangles, Magic, Possessive Behavior, Protective, Protectiveness, Romance, Teen Romance, Vampires, Werewolves, Wizards
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-01-30 09:56:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21426331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PonderRose/pseuds/PonderRose
Summary: Bella is a wizard, and a powerful one at that. Wizards hunt vampires, and werewolves hunt wizards. This becomes paramount when she meets two particular individuals while going to high school in Forks. Forbidden romance and love triangle. BellaxEdward and BellaxJacob. Enjoy!
Relationships: Edward Cullen/Bella Swan, Jacob Black/Bella Swan
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

Shimmering: that’s one thing vampires and druids have in common. There’s always dust all over me, and I do mean all over. In my hair, on my arms, legs, feet, hands, even cheeks. It’s amazing we haven’t been discovered on that alone. The dust constantly sparkling off me was the loveliest shade of pink. 

Our organic colours usually represent our inner nature. Guess my nature is a bright, soft pink.

This story begins in the United Kingdom; Yorkshire to be precise. While wizards do exist on almost every continent, our home base is and has always been the UK. It’s no surprise the story of Harry Potter was born here. If you know a wizard, then you can be sure that they have roots here. I was born on British soil actually, just like most other druids who exist now. You see, there are a couple of things you should know about magic folk. 

Oh, how and where to start? There’s so much. I won’t overcomplicate things right now. Let’s just say that you only need one parent to be a wizard; it is a dominant gene. My father is American, lives in a small town called Forks in Washington. Heh, you can imagine how surprised he was to learn that my mother was a wizard. He thought she just liked body glitter a lot. She’s still alive and has recently remarried to another mortal man. They moved to Spain, leaving me in England since I did not want to leave. I was allowed to stay on the condition that I “live” with my father. 

But Isabella, I hear you ask, how can you do that if he’s in the US and you are in York? Very good question! I had to seek the help of a stronger entity to help me with this one. An ancient druid from the highlands paid me a visit when my mother left. He drew a door onto one of the walls, which effectively opened straight into my father’s kitchen in Forks. Perfect! No boring, long flights AND I get to stay here in Europe! Woo hoo! 

As you can probably guess, I didn’t have enough magic to do that on my own just yet. I’m seventeen and most wizard’s magic don’t usually mature until around age thirty. That being said, our future selves can send spells to our past selves, but that’s never happened to me. Guess my older self doesn’t see the need to assist me magic-wise. 

Daddy was……. conflicted at the new passageway in his kitchen. First of all, the time difference was a factor; we’re like eight hours ahead of Fork’s time. Secondly, he didn’t know what he’d say if anyone accidently stumbled upon it. But I reassured him that it would be fine. He could come over to Europe anytime he wanted without paying for a flight! And this way, he could always check on me while I stayed at Mom’s old home, which I guess now was my home. He finally relented when I took him to a football match- our football, not American football- and bought him all the goodies he could eat. After that, he was peachy keen with the portal connecting our houses. 

I know I’ve been talking a lot about magic without explaining how it works much. Don’t worry, I don’t know how it works either. We have no schools for the magically gifted like Hogwarts out here; there’s simply not enough of us to warrant it. There aren’t many books either, and the ones that do exist are hard to find. Instead, I like to think of it like how a car runs. I can drive a car but have no idea how it operates on the inside. No, I don’t know how cars work either- I’m more of a literature gal. So if you’re ever confused on how our magic system operates or how I did spell X, Y, or Z, don’t worry. I guarantee I’m equally as confused as you are. 

Gotta love being a wizard. Comes complete with zero manuals! 

But enough about me! Well actually, I suppose this whole story is about me. It’s a love story: a forbidden love story to be exact. The illicit romance between a female wizard and the two men who were supposed to be her enemies. The first is a werewolf who is part of a species which is known for hunting witches and wizards. The second is a vampire who we usually hunt in turn. This is the forbidden love between the hunters and hunted. 

Yes, dear reader, this is our story.


	2. Drive to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie gives Bella a ride on her first day of school.

I did a twirl in the middle of the bathroom, getting pink dust everywhere on the floor in the process. Today was an important day- my first day of American high school! I had an idea of what to expect; I’d seen Mean Girls, Grease, the Kissing Booth if you want a more recent example. Personally, I don’t think I’d fit in very well and it’s not just because I’m a magic being. But on the plus side, no dorky uniforms! 

“Hurry, Bells! School starts in twenty minutes!” Daddy hollered through the portal. “Coming!” I quickly got dressed and ran to grab my backpack from my bedroom. I entered into the kitchen, all ready to go. And just in time to see Daddy swear under his breath, giving his folded newspaper a shake. “There’s damn dust everywhere.” “Sorry, Daddy. There’s literally nothing I can do about it,” I shrugged, coming over to his side. He gave me one of those “dad” looks. “You can clean it.” “I will when I get home; I promise.” “Damn it all. Isn’t there a spell you could use or something?” “Uh, I don’t really know how to cast cleaning spells yet. I can try though.” “No, don’t bother. Don’t need you blowing up the oven again.” “I was trying to cook the turkey faster!” “And didn’t work. But it’s ok; come on, I’ll drive you to school,” he set down his paper and motioned me to follow him to the door. 

Although the way, Daddy and I talked about…… well, a lot. But the subject of me getting a truck came up. “I have a friend who wants to sell his. But turns out his boy, Jacob, is one of those wolf monsters.” “Werewolves, Daddy,” I gently corrected. “Yeah, one of ‘em. The last thing we need is any wolves figuring out you’re here. I thanked him for the offer but had to turn it down- sorry, Bells.” “No, Daddy; it’s fine. I really like that bike you gave me!” “That thing is ancient.” “But I love it nonetheless.” He waved his hand nonchalantly in the air. “Ah, you spend most of your free time in York anyway. You don’t really need a truck.” “No, you’re right; I don’t. I can walk everywhere back home,” I said, peacefully gazing out of the car window. Daddy took the opportunity to glance my was out of the corner of his eye. 

“Listen, Bells; about your new school……..” “Yes, Daddy?” I immediately blinked back to him so to give him my full attention. “Uh, we don’t really……. there aren’t really……. you’re kinda unique around here. I’ve never heard of another wizard in Forks before.” “Oh, that’s fine. I’m used to being uh……. the only one of my kind,” my eyes lowered slightly in understanding. Daddy didn’t seem content with that, rubbing his finger under his bottom lip. 

“Just…… don’t do magic or anything; don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself.” “You think I would?” I laughed. “No, but you don’t exactly blend in, Bells. You look like your own glitter factory.” “I dressed really conservatively. And if anyone asks, I’ll just say I’m addicted to Lush’s dusting powder.” “I don’t know if that’ll work,” he hesitated. “It did in Britain.” “This isn’t Britain, sweetheart. Which reminds me: make sure you watch out for those wolves sniffing about. I heard they mainly stay on the reserve, but you can never be too careful.” “Ok, Daddy; I’ll be careful. It’ll be just like when I went to Ireland.” “You went to Ireland?!” “Er……. No?” 

He let out a tired sigh, peering out the window beside him. “Jesus, I got a daughter who’s also a rare wizard to look after. Great.” And I laughed again. “Hey! At least you can use my magic whenever you want.” “You don’t even know how to use your magic properly yet.” “Eh, that comes with experience supposedly. There’s no guidebooks or anything; not that I can read anyways.” “Well, so long as you’re out in public, you’re a normal, average muggle- just like the rest of us.” “Exactly!” 

“Maybe then those mutts will leave you alone.”


	3. Soul Recognition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets someone who will become very important to her one day.

My first day of school was uneventful. Everyone appeared to be human; no werewolves from what I could tell. Daddy did say they stayed on their own land……. We didn’t have many wolves in Europe, and those we did have were primarily in the Nordic countries, Greece- ironically enough- and Ireland. I was forbidden from going over to Ireland without good cause, and even then it was risky. Since the middle ages, werewolves have hunted us magic folk. They were a large contributor to the “burning times” back in the seventeenth century. I was scared of werewolves and rightly so- it’s partly because of them that my ancestors were hunted down and executed. But I wouldn’t say I hated them. I didn’t hate werewolves per se……. 

I had lots of time to consider this on my way home. It had just finished sprinkling and everything was fresh and damp. An unconscious smiled bloomed across my face as I turned up to see the sky. So far and blue…… God, I love the sky. Maybe if I tried hard enough and my magic developed over time, I could fly one day. It’s a long shot, I know; but a wizard’s gotta dream. A few drops of rain fell down onto my top of my cheek, trickling down the side of my face. Ah, this felt wonderful; much like my beloved England. Yes, I think I could learn to like Forks; even with our werewolf neighbours. Unconsciously again, my magic got the better of me in that moment. My hair started to wave up in the air even though the air was still. Pink dust flew everywhere. 

That happens sometimes. When a wizard is really happy, sad, angry, or scared, they’re magic might act on its own accord. Mom said that’s a sign of real power; true, magical strength. Why does it happen? Your guess is as good as mine. If what Mom says is true, then I’m thinking it might be because the amount of raw magical talent we possess is too much for our physical bodies to handle. But I could be wrong; don’t quote me on that. 

Regardless of why it happens, it did and I stood there with my long, dark brown hair going all over the place behind me as I stood there completely still. Heh, it kind of reminded me of those anime drawings you see of girls with their hair flying everywhere. Well, I’d like to think I looked like that anyway. 

I did flinch however and my hair sway even harder as a sudden gust of harsh, very strong wind blew up from the forest path in front of me. My arm covered my eyes, it was that intense. It calmed down after a minute and when I reopened my eyes, I looked to see……. to see…… uh, I’m not really sure how to describe it. 

At first I thought my eyes might be playing tricks on me or maybe I accidently summoned something without my knowing. Pink dust scattered everywhere, as did dirt in between us. There, standing like ten feet in front of me, was a man. Not a boy around my age- a man. I couldn’t tell you how old I think this guy was but if I had to guess maybe somewhere in his late twenties. He stopped, looked straight up at me, and locked stares. His knees were bent as he rested on the ground, but only for a second. He straightened up, not taking his eyes off me. 

“It’s you. I’ve finally found you………” He spoke in this very deep, manly voice. Oh god, I hate to admit it but I loved it; from the first word he said, I automatically adored the soulful darkness in his tone. It was like a mixture of a promise of sin and salvation at the same time. Perfection- I didn’t know a voice could sound that perfect. 

I think this is a good time to note what he actually looked like. Very, very handsome; pale, tall, slender yet muscular, short light hair. And…….. uh oh, my eyes grew upon the alarming realization. He’s…… also a vampire. 

Now, I’ve never seen a vampire in real life……. despite them being everywhere in the UK. You see, vampires usually avoid wizards. Unlike werewolves, who actively hunt us, vampires are more the victims of druids most of the time. Not only is our dust super dangerous to them, they also can’t drink our blood and what’s more, wizards can turn them into stone. Like stone statues type deal. I think they can kill us too, but conflicts normally don’t end in their favour. And no, I don’t know why our natural dust is so deadly to them- no one’s ever told me. All Mom said is it’ll protect me if a vampire ever gets too close…… she thinks. 

So you can understand why I was so astonished to see this vampire here with me. I mean, vampires are also enemies to werewolves, so that might be the reason. But that still doesn’t explain why he’s here now. What’s more…… there was something odd about this vampire. I knew they’re supposed to be immortal- fine, whatever. But this particular vampire…… something was off, different about him. I could sense him……. aging, if that makes any sense. No, it doesn’t make sense to me either. How did I know he was aging just like any other mortal- including wizards like myself? I don’t know. Why was he aging despite being an immortal creature of the night? I don’t know. Does this mean a spell was casted over him, dooming him to die eventually? I don’t know! 

All I knew is that he was a vampire and also an aging vampire- that’s it. 

Whoever he was, he was staring at me with such intensity, such determination. It was almost like he knew me; again, if that makes any sense. “There’s no time,” he stated in that seductive, sultry voice of his. No time? Does he mean for himself? Does this have to do with the fact that he can grow old? Questions, questions, questions; not like that’s anything new. I did take a step back however when his thin, broad hand extended out to me. “You must come with me immediately.” 

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh……..?” He…… does know I’m a wizard, right? I probably shouldn’t go near him, never mind go anywhere with him. My pink dust might hurt him. I suppose this wasn’t the response he wanted since the very attractive yet confusing vampire took another step my way. “Come on.” I gasped in shock and he winced when a sudden invisible barrier barred him from coming any closer. Electric shocks pulsated through the air and he immediately pulled back his hand. “Damn it! The spell won’t let me go any further,” he said. Spell? Oh, so he is under a spell! Wait, what kind of spell? Like a travel spell? Or something else? Man, it sure would be nice to have some sort of manual about all this. Why can’t Hogwarts be real? 

“You!” I blinked in surprise as he shouted over to me, his eyes almost desperate now. Me? What does he want with me? “Can you hear the sound of my voice?” This mystery vampire then proceeded to ask. Oh yeah! I haven’t said anything yet; well, any full-formed words anyway. He doesn’t know if I can here him…….. That suggests that he’s under a time-travel spell; he’s either from the future or past! But which? And why did he come here of all places and times? Does he…… know me? Like future me? I don’t know him; not yet anyway. 

“I…… I can hear you,” I heard myself say out loud before I knew what my mouth was doing. Hey, wait a minute! When did I give you permission to speak? “There’s no more time! Come with me!” This caused me to take yet another apprehensive step backwards. His eyes grew in a panic. “Now!” 

That was the last thing he said before mystery vampire completely vanished into thin air. I guess that means the spell is over- he went back to his own time, whenever that is. He had an American accent so I’m thinking he’s probably American. He must have known who I was too, since he was so adamant that I come with him. Or maybe he just needed the assistance of any wizard and I happened to be the most convenient. That doesn’t make sense though cause my powers are so not developed. So, so many questions. I didn’t feel particularly scared though; despite everything, I felt fairly calm. There was this weird, warm sensation down deep inside of me. 

Perhaps that’s because I knew he wasn’t here to harm me; again, don’t ask me how I knew that. I just did. From the first moment I saw him……. when I look at him……. 

I wouldn’t call it love at first sight; more like soul recognition.

P.S. I didn’t see that version of “him” for a little while after this first encounter. His younger self I would meet at school this week.


	4. A Wounded Werewolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets a wounded werewolf out in the forest.

“Hey, honey. Don’t make any dinner for me; I won’t be home til late tonight,” Daddy told me over the phone. I was just getting my shoes on for an evening stroll. “That’s ok. Everything ok at work?” “Oh, some guy got attacked down by the docks; looks like some animal got to him.” “Animal? Do you think it was a werewolf?” My busy hands paused for a concerned minute. “Don’t think so. They don’t like attacking humans usually. No, it’s probably a bear or cougar or something.” “Oh…… will you be alright out there?” “Don’t worry about me; I’m armed, and I’ll be with the squad.” “Ok. No shooting any animals.” I could practically hear Daddy’s eyes roll from my side of the phone. “Life in England has made you soft. But I won’t shoot anything unnecessarily. Speaking of which, are you going to York tonight?” “Not tonight; it’s too late for me to be walking around there now. I’ll just stay around here.” “Ok. Don’t forget to lock the door and don’t go too far. And don’t be out too late.” “I won’t! I love you, Daddy. Be safe.” “Will do. Love you too, Bells.” “Bye.” “Bye.” Click! 

Huh, an animal attack? That’s curious, and something you definitely never heard of back home. I had to remind myself that vampires weren’t the only predators out here in the sticks. Personally, I’m a lot more scared of a grizzly bear than vampires, but that’s probably because bears are a lot less scared of me. Oh well, I’d be careful going out on my own. After slipping on my lovely, light pink converse- lightly stained from all the rain in York- I put on my fall jacket and headed out for my nice stroll. 

My life-changing journey that night began innocently enough. Just wandering down the neat forest path behind Daddy’s house. It was getting dark out rather quickly, so this is when I did my first dumb move. After glancing around to make sure nobody was within the vicinity, I tested out a bit of my magic. I tried to make my body dust glow, just a little for some light around me. To my surprise and delight, it actually worked! Well, sorta anyway. My hair was now glowing a bright white light, though it wasn’t too bright. Ah, better than nothing! Just gotta make sure no one sees me like this; no way to explain why my hair glows in the dark. No logical, sciency way anyway. 

Luckily for me, I didn’t spot anyone along the path. Somehow, and I have no idea how- I’m notorious for getting myself lost- I found the coast. Well actually not the coast as in beach, but a spot where I could see the ocean ahead of me. Interesting- so that’s what the Pacific Ocean looks like. Sure smelt different than the North Sea. I wanted to go down and get a closer view, but I know Daddy wouldn’t like me staying out here too late; there were werewolves near the city, after all. Still……. 

With a quick glance all over, a smile crept across my face. I took in a deep breath and readied my position. My foot lightly tapped the ground and I half jumped, half flew high up into the air. It was only for a second but there I was, floating in the night sky like a shooting star. Strands of my glowing hair went out all about behind me, slowly turning back to unilluminated brown by the time I drifted back down to the ground. A trail of pink dust was left in the dark of the night. Heh, I have no idea how my powers work but they sure are fun to play with sometimes. Satisfied with myself, I turned to head back home now. It was getting pretty late and I’d had my fun. Time to go home and watch some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!   
What happened next was…….. nothing short of remarkable. 

I was going along with my headphones back in, gleefully to Beethoven’s sixth symphony when all of a sudden……. something up ahead of me caught my eye. It was on the path, moving as if it was trying to get back into the thicket. Whatever it was, it was big, slow, and dark. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it actually had…… hair, fur! Gasp! My hand rose up to my mouth in fear. Could this be one of those bears Daddy mentioned earlier? It looked big enough, not that I’ve ever seen one to compare. Still, if I had to guess, I’d say this appeared more than plausible. 

In that moment, I didn’t know what to do. Should I run? Should I scream? What if it’s not a bear? It looked to be struggling, almost as if it was injured. Injured?! What if it is an animal and needs help? I don’t have a cell phone on me and I don’t know if I should magic to try and heal it- if it needs healing, that is. What should I do? I’ve never been in a situation like this before. All I knew was that if it was hurt, I couldn’t just leave it here alone and apt to die. That’s not going to happen. 

I did stumble back a step when it suddenly moved again; this was a much bigger, more profound move than before. I could hear it gasping, groaning from here, and I was like fifteen feet away. The longer I observed it, the less convinced I was that it was a bear. It looked too bony, too lanky to be a bear. It actually…… appeared to have the figure of a dog. A very big dog- a wolf. 

Wait……. my foot took another instinctive step backwards as my hand lifted up to my chest. A wolf? No, but no…….. that’s impossible; it couldn’t be…… a werewolf, could it? A cloud moved, letting the moonlight shine down upon us; it illuminated the forest a bit better. My eyes grew very, very wide at the sight. Oh……. oh boy. 

Yep- definitely a werewolf. And he’s bleeding. Looks like he’s been recently attacked; the gash was long, deep, and still bleeding profusely. His toothy mouth was open, letting the drool also flow. A line of red ran from him back into the other side of the trees; I guess he’s been dragging himself for a way now. He’s in such critical condition that he didn’t notice me standing there, gawking him with a worried, frantic expression. 

These few silent seconds presented me with a choice. I could either do the smart thing and get the heck outta here before he spots me, or worse, whatever’s chasing him finds me too. Or I could do the moral thing and help him get somewhere safe. But where was that? Where could I bring him in this condition? He really should go to a hospital or at least a doctor’s. I don’t know any werewolf surgeons! My eyes began to widen in realization. But I do know there are other wolves in Ireland……. 

With that settled, I hesitantly took my first step towards the beast. A twig snapped beneath my right foot and his ears immediately perked up. I froze stiff when his large head raised up, looking in my direction. The moment our eyes met, he started growling viciously, baring his teeth at me. His growl was so intense and threatening; he did NOT want me coming any closer to him. 

I didn’t react right away, trying my best not to startle him in any way. I kept my hands out in front of me where he could see them; they didn’t move. Eventually, after a tense minute or so, my left foot took another reluctant step forward. He barked, clearly upset with me. Think, Isabella; you have to do something- you have to help him. How do I show him that I only want to keep him safe? That’s when it occurred to me……. Werewolves can transform into humans; this guy’s a man too. Which meant that he could probably speak English as well……. 

“I-it’s ok; I’m not going to hurt you,” my voice was a lot meeker than I wanted it to be. He reverted back to enraged growling; his deep, brown eyes narrowing onto mine. “N-no, I’m not going to harm you, I promise…….” I tried taking another step ahead of me while attempting to sound as reassuring as I could. Oh, how he kept growling. “We need to get you out of here,” I said, finally taking the plunge and moving forward. He reacted by actually snapping at me. 

I went flying back, landing on the forest floor behind me right on my butt. I winced and gazed back up at the dangerous entity. He was still glaring red-hot daggers at me. Well, this isn’t going anywhere fast, and judging by the looks of it, he didn’t have much time. I think it startled him a bit when my hand extended out to him in a show of pleading and desperation. No…… I didn’t want to see this creature die. Who cares if we’re supposed to be mortal enemies? He’s alive, and that’s how I want him to stay. “Please……. please, let me help you. There’s not much time,” I begged in a soft, low tone. 

By now, he had stopped growling and was confusedly staring at me. Both our heads perked at the sound of bushes rustling in the distance. Whatever was pursuing him had finally caught up, it looks like. This sent my nerves into overdrive. No, they’ll kill him if they find him; they wouldn’t have wounded him like this if they didn’t want to kill him. I gotta get Mr. Wolfman here the heck out of dodge, and I mean now! 

As if taking on a life of their own, my feet sprang up. The wolf glanced back my way but wasn’t growling anymore. Instead, I was the frantic one now, waving both my arms around in the air panicked. “They’ve found you! We gotta get outta here, now!” I wanted to roll my eyes as he suddenly began growling again. This is NOT the time for that right now! My heart beat a mile a minute as I could hear voices in the distance; two of them it sounded like. Oh, fock; there’s more than one chasing him?! Without my noticing it once, my hair and jacket began to be weightless; my dust float off me surrounding us in that section of the pathway. The wolf took notice but all my thoughts were on him and getting him to safety. 

“Over here! This way!” A male voice echoed through the darkness of the trees. Welp! We’re officially out of time. I had no idea what could be hunting him either, conveniently forgetting then that vampires liked to hunt down werewolves when they intersected their territory. The wolf heard their voices too and for the briefest of moments, had this twinge of fear in his gigantic eyes. “I smell his blood over here.” Oh no! They know where we are! My heart was racing so fast, I worried it might fly up through my throat. 

I don’t have in great detail the memory of the next preceding seconds. All I knew is that before I had time to do anything, two figures rapidly emerged from the woods- two men. That’s all I had time to register; I do know they were men- slender, pale men. They looked at me with equal confusion; then from me to the wounded werewolf. What I’m describing took place in like the span of ten seconds, which is why I can’t remember it so well. The men turned his way and my protective instinct took over. They were eyeing him with ill-intent, like they wanted to harm him…….. That was enough for me. 

When a wizard is really happy, sad, angry, or scared, they're magic might act on its own accord.

“NO!” Before I knew what was happening or what I was doing, my legs were running, my arms were reaching out. I landed on the wolf’s side; my whole body pressing into his fur. Even my head was buried in it. The men watched with astonishment and mild horror as a very bright, radiant light started to surround both of us, glowing from the inside out. It only took a few seconds, but the wolf and I were unexpectedly and quite suddenly teleported back into my father’s house- the middle of his kitchen to be precise. His blood already started to pool by the time we both reopened our eyes. 

We looked around in equal amounts of bewilderment; first at our new environment, and then each other. We looked at each other……. and that’s when all hell broke loose.


	5. A Beautiful Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charlie comes home to find a werewolf in his kitchen.

“Stop! It’s ok! It’s alright! We’re at my house!” The wolf was having a full-on freak out. His jaw kept snapping and I was too afraid to try reaching out to him with my hands. “It’s ok; we’re safe! Please calm down!” Nothing I said was working; this wolf was having none of it. His paws kicked viciously, breaking almost everything in sight. Dishes crashed, chairs broke; it was an absolute mess. What’s worst, he wounds were almost getting deeper with all the thrusting and fuss. Jesus, he’s gonna die if I don’t do something soon! 

Turns out I didn’t have to do anything. Neither of us paid any mind to the front door opening and closing. I was standing at the side of the kitchen with a frikin werewolf having a meltdown when guess who showed up. “What the hell is going on?!” Both our heads darted over to see a very dumbfounded and outraged Daddy stationed at the kitchen entryway. “Daddy!” I shrieked. To my surprise, his arrival actually made the wolf stop, staring straight at him with his mouth now shut. And as for Daddy……. 

“Isabella, what the hell is he doing here?! Do you know what that is?!” “Daddy, he’s hurt! He’s been bleeding for a really long time now!” I fired back, not that Daddy cared. “Why’d you bring him in the house?! Do you know what that thing could do you?!” “But Daddy, he was hurt and being hunted and…….” “Like I give a damn! That creature belongs to a species that’s tracked down your ancestors for centuries! How many of your great grandfathers and grandmothers have they killed?! And you’re trying to save one of ‘em?!”

“Daddy, please; I’m begging you- we have to help him. He needs to go to a doctor…… or hospital……. or something!” “Yeah, right. Do you know of any doctors that treat werewolves?” “Well…… no, but I know there’s wolves in Ireland who…….” Daddy angrily cut me off. “Whoa, whoa, whoa; Ireland! You are NOT going to Ireland; do you hear me young lady?” “He needs help! He’ll die if he doesn’t get any soon!” 

I guess I was shouting so hard that I failed to notice that I was accidently backing up closer to him. Mr. Werewolf growled and snapped again, making me jump in a reactionary way. Daddy’s eyes grew and he grabbed hold of my hand; he pulled him safely behind him. Once I was there, I watched in horror as he yanked out his gun, aiming it at the injured entity. “Daddy!” “I’ll shoot him if he tries to bite you like that again.” “No, don’t! It’s not his fault! He’s scared! He doesn’t know where he is!” I took hold of the back of Daddy’s shirt frenziedly. “Quiet, Isabella. You’re grounded, so you might as well back to York while I handle Old Lassie here.” 

I rolled my eyes as I continued to yank on his shirt. “Ok, ok, I’ll go. Just please make sure he gets some help.” “No one’s gonna help like this. He’s a ten-foot dog; he’ll need to change back if he’s gonna get any assistance from anyone- any humans anyway.” “Can’t you drive him to the hospital once he does change back?” Daddy’s head shook. “One of the doctors there is a human-mosquito. Bad idea to take him anywhere near there. Just go, Bells; I’ll talk to you after I’m done with him. And you! You better change back boy before my trigger finger gets any happier,” he barked at the wolf. 

I sighed and headed for the door back to York. My hand was on the verge of opening it when…… the wolf began turning back into a human, a man. It was astonishingly a young man, probably around my age. First nations; long, black hair; tan skin; and beautiful, dark brown eyes. He was looking at me, still breathing heavily. There was this considerable gash across his bare chest……. Actually, all of him was bare. And I’m not the only one who was stunned by his transformation either. Daddy started to lower his gun as his eyes grew wider. “Jacob? Billy’s boy?!” Billy? Who’s Billy? One of Daddy’s friends? 

With one last gaze at each other, I finally departed through the door going to York. I shut the door, pausing and leaning up against its wood. My breathing was tense as I grabbed on to the collar of my shirt. Good god. 

For a werewolf, he’s beautiful!


	6. The Day Bella Met Edward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets Edward while at school.

“And the next time you wanna bring a monster like that home, you’d better run it by me first.” “Don’t worry, Daddy; I will,” I grabbed my backpack and headed for the front door. “And remember, come straight home after school; you’re still grounded,” he hollered after me. “Yes, I will,” my eyes rolled. Boy, who knew you could be punished for saving a life; even if it is your enemy’s life. But I get where Daddy’s coming from; in hindsight it was super dangerous and stupid of me. I’d still do it again in a heartbeat, but at least I’d know how stupid I was while doing it. 

It was raining out this morning; yay! Just like home. Not that I’ll be taking any strolls in the rain anytime soon. I’d never been grounded before; it felt really suffocating. That being said, it was nice to go to school. I didn’t really have a lot of friends yet, although this one guy named Mike seemed pretty friendly. People were nice in general here. 

One thing I will say about the rain is that it really makes my dust stick to me; I look all pink and shimmery. Not that I minded! Though it probably looked a little weird, me coming into biology class with what looked like pink glitter glue all over in my hair. Ah well; what can you do? 

This was my first ever biology class at my new school. The professor- do they call them “professors” here in America?- was the kindest man you can imagine. He lit up the moment I entered the room. “Ah, Miss Swan! I heard you’d be joining my class today. Nice to meet you!” “Nice to meet you too, sir,” I greeted him with a smile. “Sir? Well, aren’t you miss proper? Here, I got you your textbook and some notes and uh……..” While he was busy with that, I took the opportunity to glance around the room at my classmates. Most of them seemed ordinary until…… 

My back almost pressed up against the chalkboard the moment I spotted him. And he didn’t seem too pleased to see me either. There, sitting near one of the windows was nonother than a vampire! Oh, god; there are vampires at this school?! How did I not notice him before? Are there others or is it just him? Ah, who cares; one is most definitely enough. No, I can’t be here; my dust might hurt him if I sit too close. How did I go from werewolves last night to vampires this morning? What is wrong with me lately?! 

The prof turned to face me with slight confusion; his hands were full of papers for me. His eyebrow raised. “Miss Swan?” “I…… I’m sorry, there’s been a mistake. This isn’t my class.” “What are you talking about? Course this is your class. Don’t worry, you’re in the right room.” “N-no, what I meant was…… was……. that I thought this was chemistry! I-I must have accidently signed up for biology,” I stuttered. This made the other members of the classroom chuckle; all except one and you can guess who. “But don’t you need a biology credit on your course list?” The prof asked, totally confused by now. Jesus, how am I going to get out of this one? Good job there, Isabella! 

“I……I…….. uh…….” “Oh, not to worry! We’ll figure this out later. For now, please have a seat; you’ll have to be in my class today.” I inwardly groaned. Nooooooo, this is so bad- for him! What if he gets hurt? How can I help him? Gees, I can’t do anything like this, except for sitting on the total opposite side of the room. Before the prof, whose name was Mr. Molina, could assign me a seat, I ran for the first available on the last row on the left side. I sat down, trying my best not to make eye contact with the vampire. 

The next hour was the most awkward of my life. I tried so hard not to look his way, instead keeping my stare permanently glued down onto my textbook the whole class. Well, almost the whole time. About halfway through the lecture, I couldn’t help myself anymore. I had to check on him, make sure he’s alright. When I did, I almost fell out of my seat, alerting the entire class to my clumsiness. 

It’s him! Like him- the vampire from back in the forest earlier this week. The aging one! Why?! Why is he here?! And more than that, he’s not aging now! I still have no clue how I knew that BUT I could tell. He was ironically younger; maybe around my age. So let me see if I’ve got this straight: he’s not aging but somehow younger now, but will age in the future? What?! Even I was beyond confused by all this nonsense! And I was right- he did know me…….. from now, the past. 

Gasp! Maybe the reason he came back to the past was to kill me or something. Did I hurt him unintentionally?! Did I hurt someone he loved? Why would he- a vampire from my high school- travel back in time to see me of all people? I don’t understand! Please, someone help! I need some answers here! 

As if to make matters worse, when I peered up at the vampire, he was looking straight back at me! He didn’t look particularly happy either. Well of course he’s not happy! He’s in a classroom with someone that might be able to accidently kill him! God, of all times to have magic sparkle dust always shaking off me. The last thing I wanted was to harm him in any way; I gotta get the heck outta here! 

The bell couldn’t ring fast enough. The moment it rang, I gathered all my stuff in my arms, not bothering to stuff it in my backpack and rushed out of the door. I didn’t even stop to talk to Mr. Molina. I guess I was going so fast that I didn’t realize I was being tailed. Only when I paused to take a breath and rested my lower arm against some lockers did I see…….. 

“Are you trying to avoid me?” That voice…… my eyes lowered gently. "It's you. I've finally found you.” I know that voice. “W-wha….. what do you want?” I heard myself ask before my brain gave me permission. Oops. “What are you doing at the school?” He asked without my glancing at him. My hands balled into nervous fists. “Stay back…… please stay away from me.” He didn’t say anything right away though I didn’t hear him leave. 

“Are you the only one?” Mystery vampire finally spoke again. “Only one…….? You mean am I the only one of my kind here? I think so……. Are you…….?” I couldn’t finish my question. I shouldn’t even be talking to him! He was too close; too close to me……. I held my breath as he took a step forward…… towards me. It didn’t help matters either that he’s insanely hot! 

“You didn’t answer my question. What are you doing here….. druid?” There was a lull before he spoke the last work. My lips parted a sliver. “N-nothing, just going to school. I didn’t know…….” I didn’t know that there were vampires here too. Another pause in the conversation; if this could be called a “conversation”. “Why do you smell like one of those mangy mutts?” He inquired and my back straightened up. I stared right out in front of me for a moment; my eyes wide. That’s right, the werewolf from last night…… Jacob. I still didn’t know if he’s……. 

The sound of him taking another step closer made my heartbeat inside my ears. “No, stop!” Before I was conscious of it, I was shouting at him; my hands balling back into fists again. “Don’t come any closer! Stay away!” I ordered before my head finally turned around to face him. Man, was his expression bewildered. But my eyes merely lowered gently onto his, my lips transforming into a thin line. I felt like I was on the verge of tears by now. “I don’t……. I don’t want to hurt you,” I said quieter this time. 

This mystery vampire gawked at me with the most dumbfounded of faces. It was like that was the last thing he expected to hear from me; I suppose vampires were used to wizards caring about them. That’s like werewolves being concerned about us……. We watched each other for a minute before an unfamiliar voice shouted through the hall. “Edward!” 

This caused us both to perk up and I looked over my shoulder to see……. more vampires?! Four of them, to be exact; two guys and two girls. They were simultaneously glaring at me and worriedly scanning over mystery vampire, who I guess was Edward. For his part, Edward’s gaze shifted from the other vampires back to me. His mouth opened but no words came out. Instead he walked past me, going to who I assumed were his friends. Cause of course the vampires in school would all be friends. 

Without another word, they took off but not before each sent me a warning glare. The last one to look was Edward, who wasn’t glaring. To my amazement, he was merely observing, like he was trying to figure me out. I can understand why that’d be; he’s probably heard all his life as a vampire that wizards are deadly monsters- to them, I mean. It’s likely the most confusing thing in the world for one of those “monsters” to worry about you, even to the point where they don’t want to be in the same room as you. Heh……. 

Almost as confusing as your prey desperately trying to save their predator.


	7. An Unexpected Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Billy pays the Swans a surprise visit.

I went from watching Dragon Ball Z- the Saiyan saga- to Nickelodeon’s Victorious. Man, being grounded sucks! All I did this weekend was lay around and watch cartoons……. and Victorious. On the plus side, I got to spend some quality time with my man, Vegeta. What do I have to do to get him to marry me? There has to be a spell out there that makes him real. But until I figure that out, I’ll pine from afar- and by afar, I mean here on the couch. 

Daddy came home that Sunday afternoon with his arms full of groceries. Since I apparently can’t go anywhere, I demanded that Daddy shop at one of the stores back home- Tescos to be exact. It’s my favourite UK supermarket. He went through the portal in our kitchen, set the bags down, and came into the living room. Standing at one side of the couch, he planted his hands on his hips while giving me one of “those” looks. I paused my episode to glance up at him in return. 

“How was shopping?” “Long. I don’t know why you Brits have to confuse everything, but you do, and I was stuck wandering around looking for everything on the list,” he pulled out a completed inventory on a piece of notepaper. I quickly scanned it over. “Awe, at least you got everything!” “You’re missing the point, Bells,” Daddy’s eyes rolled exasperated. “Daddy, I would have loved to have come shopping with you, but I’m grounded! And while I don’t agree with it, I’m going to honour your decision……. By staying home and watching mindless television,” I took a sip of my green tea from my panda cup. 

Daddy sighed, giving his head a little shake. “Honey, I don’t like punishing you; I don’t want to ground you. It’s just…… what you did was really dangerous; borderline stupid.” “Stupid? It’s never stupid to try and save a life,” I retorted, clearly upset by this comment. “Yes, it is- when the life you’re trying is someone who’ll probably you kill if he gets the chance. You know werewolves hunt wizards like you. Why would you even go near that thing, never mind rescue him?” “Daddy, I didn’t ask why right then; the “why” never came up in my mind. All I knew was that he was injured and I needed to do something. Yes, he’s a werewolf, but he’s a living being before that- just like you or me. That’s why: he’s has a life and I value it. I value life! What’s wrong with that?” I actually stood up, I was getting so worked up. 

This made Daddy pause for a minute, staring at me in a sort of awe. His mouth opened a sliver but it took a while for any words to come out. “Bells, I……. I hear what you’re saying, but that’s a real dangerous mentality for you to have. Wolves will take advantage of that; hell, even vampires will. You can’t give them that chance.” “I’m sorry, Daddy. You can ground me as much as you want, but I’d never do anything different. That’s just the way it is for me: it’s easier to deal the threat of potentially being harmed, than walking away from someone who’s dying.” 

Daddy watched me for another minute before his head shook again. His eyes glanced to the side then back my way. “You didn’t get sense of moral duty from me.” “…….. You’re a cop!” “Yeah, and I carry a gun.” “You would never shoot anyone in front of me, right?” “Are you kidding? You’d try and save the guy I just shot,” and I laughed. Yeeeeeeeah, he’s right. We smiled at each other warmly, with this new understanding between daughter and father. Eventually Daddy chuckled softly. “Well, I don’t think you did the smart thing. But you did the good thing.” “Thanks, Daddy.” 

“So what are we watching?” Daddy came to sit on the side of the couch and I took my seat again beside him. “Whatever you want,” I handed him the remote. “No, you were watching something before I came. What’s this?” “Victorious.” “…….. Ok, let’s find something else,” he said, making me laugh again. While he started flipping through shows on the guide, I grabbed my now nearly-empty tea cup. I gazed down at it ponderingly. “Hmmmmmmm, would you like some tea, Daddy?” “You mean that leafy stuff you brought from York?” “Uh huh!” “Then no.” “Ok, then I’ll make you a pot of coffee,” I got up and headed for the kitchen. “Decaf!” “Righto! And popcorn?” “That’s my girl,” Daddy chuckled. 

I was about to head in when a sudden knocking at the front door made me stop. Daddy and I glanced at one another before he set down the remote and went to answer it. “Who could that be on a Sunday night?” To my slight surprise, he opened to door to an older first-nations man in a wheelchair. I’d never seen him before, but he definitely wasn’t a werewolf; just a regular human like Daddy. My father must have recognized him though, considering how his face lit up when he saw him. 

“Billy!” “Evening, Charlie,” the man rolled on in. “Good to see ya, man! How are you doing?” Daddy shut the front door. “Oh, fine. How are you?” “Good, good! No complaints. How’s your boy doing?” “Better; Jacob’s getting better every day. They don’t say wounded too long,” Billy explained. Wait, Jacob? Billy? My mind slowly put the pieces together, my expression widening in realization. My finger rose up in his direction. “Jacob…… not “Jacob” Jacob? Not uh…… Jacob?” I didn’t want to give Jacob away in case I was wrong. 

Both men merely observed me for a moment. Then Billy’s face also lit up, a smile blooming across his lips. “You must be Isabella Swan! I’ve heard so much about you.” “Uhhhhhhhhh……….?” My jaw hung open. “Oh, Charlie; she’s beautiful,” Billy told Daddy, who nodded in agreement. “Daddy, um…….. uh…… I’m……. I’m confused a little?” 

This made them laugh, to my horror. “Don’t worry, Bells; he knows. His boy is the one you “met” that night.” “Oh……. OH!” Oh, ok…….. this is NOT ok! Why is the father of the wolf I rescued here? Is he mad? No, that doesn’t make sense. But why would he be here?! I don’t get it. It didn’t help matters when he turned his chair so to face me. His smile was so wide and kind now; real gentle-like. 

“Yes, that’s why I’m here. I wanted to thank you, for saving my son. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t showed up when you did. You’re something else, young lady; there’s something real special about you- magic or no magic.” “Uh…… um, well……. well, y-you’re welcome!” I stuttered. What is happening? Was I just thanked……. for saving a werewolf? Well, I guess it is his son but still! This is……. unexpected to say the least. Almost as unexpected as having vampires at my high school. 

I flinched as Billy reached out to grab hold of my hand. He held it so enduringly in his. “I mean it, Miss Swan. Thank you…….. thank you.” This man, my eyes started to lower on his. Oh, I think I get it…….. I get it now. My fingers wrapped around his palm, giving his hand a warm squeeze. “You’re welcome, Mr. Black.” 

Our hands held onto each other for another moment, with Daddy beaming while watching us. Then while still holding onto my hand, Billy reached into his pocket pulling out a key. Curious, I lifted it up to inspect it; looks like a car key. Even Daddy looked puzzled. Billy kept grinning and folded his hands on his lap. “What’s this?” Daddy asked in my place. “My gratitude.” “Huh?” We both blinked confused. He motioned for the front door. “Outside; it’s yours now.” “What’s mine now?” I went to the door as he directed, opening it to find a truck in our parking space. Huh, there’s a truck in our yard……. Wait, there’s a truck….. in our yard? 

Daddy came over to check over my shoulder; he caught on faster than I did. He simply turned back to Billy with understanding eyes. “Uh, Daddy……. there’s a truck outside?” “Your truck now,” Billy exclaimed. “Huh?” This made me glance back at him dumbfounded. “I don’t need it anyways, but I believe you do. Am I right?” “Um, Daddy?” And he looked my way, smiling with a glimmer in his eye. 

“You heard the man- looks like you have a truck now.” “I…… I……. I uh…….. I have a truck? I have a truck? I……. have a truck!” It hit like a lightning bolt. Billy laughed out loud as I ran to give him a hug. “Oh, I love it! I love it so much! Thank you; thank you, thank you, thank you!” “You’re welcome! Glad you like it.” “I can’t wait to drive it!” I squealed, straightening up and hopping around. Oh, this was better than watching Vegeta all night! 

“Why don’t you give it a spin now?” Billy questioned. “I’d love to, but I can’t for a little while.” “Why not?” “Well, um…… I’m sorta…… grounded,” I meekly answered. Daddy shook his head, coming over to plant his hand across my shoulder. “Not anymore. Let’s go test your ride; after I do the proper checks of course.” “Daddy!” My eyes shown onto him. He nodded. “I think you’ve learned…… no lesson. Come on; let’s go. Billy, help me with the gears.” “Sure thing!” He rolled to the threshold of the door. I was all happy and smiles until I got a closer look at the truck- which I love dearly by the way. I paused to look at my father with a concerned expression. 

“Uh Daddy? I’ve never driven on the right before.”


	8. Thoughts of Her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets an ancient druid back in the UK.

I went back to the York countryside; it was late evening here but noon back in Forks. So I decided to go catch some fireflies before I went back home for a drive in my new truck! Moments like this are rare- moments where I just let loose and fully embrace my magical DNA. What this meant here was wearing a dark cloak with the hood over my head. It swayed all around me while I pranced around the field, catching fireflies and letting them go. Of course my dust also flew everywhere, landing all around on the grass. 

I guess I was too wrapped up in what I was doing since I failed to realize that I wasn’t here alone. A step in the grass made me turn around quickly. There in the distance was a druid, and an old one. He was much like myself, wearing a dark cloak with dust sprinkling all around him. But that’s where the similarities ended. Long, white hair, and bony fingers; he looked quite lanky. And powerful- very, very powerful. Can’t forget that. 

Not that I felt threatened by his sudden arrival; he was more observing me than anything. Neither of us spoke the moment our eyes met; we merely stared at one another for a time. Eventually however, I grinned reminding myself to be polite. “Evening.” No reply. Again, he didn’t seem dangerous. Seeing no point in waiting any longer, I turned my attention back to my task at hand. But the moment I moved, he perked up…… without moving, somehow- if that makes any sense. 

I paused once more. “Can I help you, sir?” “I saw something,” his voice echoed by itself as he spoke. Wow- he IS powerful. Still, I decided to humour him; druids like him can usually see things us young wizards cannot yet. “Oh? Is it in the field?” His cloaked head shook, his thin finger motioning at me. “You,” he stated matter-of-factly. 

This caught my full attention as I turned to face him straight on, lowering my hands down at my side. “Sir?” “They’ve seen you- both of them. I can see the remanence of their gazes upon you.” “Who?” My head cocked a little, perplexed and curious. Was a good thing? Bad? I suppose it depends on who he’s speaking about. “You will know, when you see them,” he answered mystically. “Have I seen them already? Do I know them?” 

The sorcerer didn’t answer me this time. Instead he continued to watch me profoundly, his head lowering ever so slightly. It was then that his eyes glowed yellow; a full golden spreading across the entire eyeball. I finally began to feel a bit uncomfortable, though not frightened still. Why was he here in the first place? He saw something, which was evidently me, but why would he come here for that alone? I don’t understand……. 

“Are they…….. dangerous? Are they friends?” I summoned up the nerve to ask. It took him a long time to reply; big surprise. “I’ve never seen anything like it before. I will remember you, child……” That’s……. not the response I was looking for. Wait, what? Why would he remember me? And what hasn’t he seen before? Where did he come from?! 

As if to be reading my mind, the ancient being flashed a tiny grin. “You are confused.” “A-A little…….” I freely admitted, lifting my hand up to my chest. “Worry not, child. There is nothing more you need to do; it is them who will come to you now.” “Who? W-who are you talking about?” I was growing a bit nervous. He spoke with such sincerity……. 

“All in time- it is only a matter of time. If you must wonder, then know that while their eyes still rest upon you, your warmth still lingers on them.” “M-my warmth? What warmth? What are you talking about?” I was beyond confused now. None of this made sense now. But my heart skipped a beat as he straightened up, ready to leave. He gave me one last glance before departing, never to be seen or heard from again. “I thought it was impossible, but tonight, you have proved me wrong. They will try not to look at you long, as if you are the sun. Yet they still see you like the sun, even without looking. 

And there will never be a day onwards, when they won’t think of you.”


	9. One Night in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward finds Bella one night while it's raining out.

“There will never be a day onwards, when they won’t think of you.” What the heck did he mean by that?! Who could think about me everyday? Who would think about me? I don’t know anyone who might, except for my parents. He did say “them”, so he could mean my mom and dad. But…… something just felt off about what he told me back in the UK. He can see a lot more than I can; I know that much about wizards. But I didn’t know that included people who have seen me before. Oh, why couldn’t he have been more explanative?! 

I contemplated all this while driving my truck down the forest road in the dark; admittedly not the smartest thing I’ve ever done. It was starting to rain out, but I wanted to try driving at least once every day, just to get used to the left side of the road. It was harder than I thought; how I didn’t end up in a ditch somewhere is beyond me. Nana Mouskouri’s “Je Reviens Chez Nous” started to play from my iPhone. As if my brain was holiday today, I glanced out of the window while listening to the soft music. It was so dark out……. My eyes lowered gently as I stared at the nothingness passing by. 

“They’ve seen you- both of them. I can see the remanence of their gazes upon you.” I wish I knew who he was talking about. I trusted him; I trust his wisdom above all others. But…… oh, god! I just don’t know. Now I’m going to be thinking about it, trying to figure out who he meant. “You will know, when you see them.” Easy for him to say; he’s an all-seeing wizard! Well, I’m a wizard too but I’m young! Totally different powers at work here. Man! 

As if the universe decided to play a cruel joke on me, my truck started making funny noises. And by funny, I mean concerning. “Oh no; not now,” I groaned. Billy warned me this might happen- just means the engine is overheating. I’m supposed to stop it and leave it off for a while. Ok, great. But I’m kinda in the middle of a dark forest right now, and still phoneless! Yes, I know I had an iPhone on me this time, but it had a UK number; it was useless for making calls here. Which means I can’t call Daddy to pick me up…….. 

I pulled over to the side of the road, killed the engine, turned off the music, and ran my hands over my face. Now what? It’s getting late and I’m stuck here in the middle of the woods again. Cause that worked so terrific last time. Nugh, Daddy will kill me if I come home with another werewolf, and they might kill me if I don’t get the heck outta here! “I’m not…… too far from home,” I reasoned to myself out loud. Yeah- if I follow the road, I’ll get to my street eventually. I just…… have to get there without being spotted. How am I supposed to do that?! I’m literally the colour pink, and I don’t have my cloak. This is a nightmare! 

Ok! After that mini meltdown was over, I put my jacket hood up and unlocked the door. No, this’ll be ok; I’ll just walk home……. In the rain. Wolves don’t like rain; I probably won’t see any. I just gotta keep moving as fast as I can; I’ll come back with Daddy tomorrow to pick up the truck. 

My confidence grew bit by bit as I trudged through the now pouring rain with no sign of anything- human or not. I actually chuckled. “This feels like home. Seventeen years in England and I still don’t bring an umbrella with me everywhere.” Oh, sweet irony. Still, no sign of any wolves yet; things were going pretty good. Or so I thought until I spotted a figure standing up ahead of me on my side of the road. 

Unlike the old druid, who I instinctually knew was no threat to me, I didn’t feel the same about him. Whoever he was, he had stopped walking and standing perfectly still facing my direction. I couldn’t see his face right away, which made me stop for a minute. Well……. this was scary. I don’t think he was a wolf, otherwise he would have attacked me by now. Still, he didn’t feel mortal. I gulped as he took a step my way. 

Dear reader, you can’t imagine how large my stare grew when I realized the man standing there was…… was Edward?! Edward, like the vampire Edward from my school? The one who I also met the future him? That Edward? But….. but why?! It’s rain crazy out here and he doesn’t have an umbrella either. Maybe vampires don’t mind rain. Still, I felt bad for him; he was as soaked as I was. Could he have gone on an evening stroll and got caught in the downpour like me? I’m just so, so confused. 

While my eyes were gigantic and frazzled, Edward’s were narrow and stern. He took a few more steps in my direction on the road. “Druid? What are you doing out here?” His voice…… well, you know how I feel about his voice. “I…… I could ask you the same thing. And…… and please don’t get too close.” This made Edward stop, though his eyes didn’t move off me. “You’re soaked to the bone,” he frowned intently. “So are you, though…… does it matter if you get drenched? Or cold?” I probably shouldn’t have pondered that aloud as I did. 

Eward watched me for another minute before taking another dreaded step forward. This alarmed me. “No! Don’t! Don’t come any closer!” My feet stumbled back a little. “What are you afraid of?” He asked, still in a very serious tone. “What am I afraid of? I’m afraid of hurting you. Wizard dust is dangerous to vampires; I don’t know what it’ll do to you, and I don’t want to find out.” Another pregnant pause before he grinned- he smiled for the first time since I saw him. Along with that, his eyes lowered a bit. 

“You won’t hurt me; trust me.” “Uh, no offense but I really don’t. It’s not worth the risk,” my head shook. As if to mock me, he stepped forward again. “It’ll be alright, so long as we don’t touch. I will be ok.” “I really…… don’t know,” I hesitated. He actually chuckled; the nerve! And here I am, super worried for this guy! He’s treating this like a game! 

“Now, once again: what are you doing out here by yourself, wizard? Don’t you know this forest is swarming with those ill-begotten mutts?” “Mutts? Oh! You mean werewolves. Yeeeeeeeees, I’m aware they’re out here,” my eyes rolled ironically off to the side. Oh boy, do I…….. “Then why be alone in the forest after dark? Do you want them to find you?” “Uh, excuse me? No, I do not, as a matter of fact,” my armed folded defiantly. Edward didn’t say anything, as if he was waiting for me to continue. After a minute, I let out a sigh and dropped my arms back down at my side. “I’m having problems with my truck. I’m walking home.”

“Truck problems?” “Yes, it’s parked down the road,” my thumb shot over my shoulder behind me. “I see,” to my utter horror, he dared to take yet another stride towards me. I mean, this guy gets that I’m deadly to him, right? Even if I don’t want to hurt him, I might have no control over that. And the last thing I want is for him to get hurt……. 

I didn’t know what to think however, when he paused right in front of me. His finger rose up to his lip, only for him to give me a once over. He sighed and started taking off his coat. My eyes widened at the sensation of it being draped over my head, effectively covering my damp hair. It was so long that it reached down to my waist, providing protection from the rain. The inside was surprisingly dry, if not cold from his ice body. Still, this kind jester made me blink up at him with the upmost bewilderment. His lips morphed into a thin line and he spun back around. “Come. I’ll be your escort home this evening.” 

“Uhhhhhh……. Why?” I was reluctant to follow him, remaining stationary there on the pavement for a second. Edward simply stopped to peer wordlessly back at me over his shoulder. I saw this as my que to continue my investigate. “W-why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?” “It’s no strife to me.” “That’s not what I meant. Why are you, a vampire, helping me, a wizard? I don’t….. I don’t get it.” And the faintest smirk revealed itself in the corner of his lip. “Why would a wizard help a werewolf? You’re not the only one with questions, druid.” Oh……. oooooooh, he knows! But how? I don’t…….. this whole supernatural thing sucks! You never get any satisfactory answers. 

My hand lifted up to my chest and his reached out. This was the second act of kindness a non-human or magus had shown me. It was……. unnerving to say the least. When I failed to do or say anything, his fingers beckoned me closer. “Come on; let’s go. It’s starting to rain harder.” “Edward…….” My lips whispered. Our eyes locked onto each other’s. “If you can worry about me, I can concern myself with you. Now for the last time, we have to go. Come here.” I still hesitated, clasping my hands together. “How can you escort me home if we can’t get close to each other?” My trembling mouth inquired. 

Edward considered this for a moment. Then I watched him as he glanced down at himself; my eyes grew as he suddenly tore a piece off the end of his shirt. His hand held it out for me to take one end. “Here; hold onto this,” he instructed. “You just ruined your shirt!” I gasped dumbfounded. The vampire merely peered down at the wreck of a shirt and then back at me. “It’s only a shirt,” he shrugged. “You didn’t have to do that.” “I’d much rather lose a shirt than lose you. Now hurry! It’s coming down hard.” 

After a reluctant moment, I took hold of the ripped garment. Seemingly satisfied with this, Edward began leading me down the now nearly invisible road. In reality, it’s super good he did that. I can’t see anything right now and wouldn’t trust using magic to try and light the way. Still……. My eyes peaked back at Edward; my fingers tightened their grip on the cloth. He destroyed his shirt without hesitation…… just for me. That’s…… very, very bizarre for a vampire to do for someone like me. And I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make me blush. Despite us never even touching, it felt strangely intimate to me somehow. 

Edward and I didn’t say another word the whole way home. That’s mainly due to the fact the rain was coming down in waves. By the time we reached Daddy’s place- which luckily had the porchlight on- we were both soaked to the bone. Edward didn’t let go of the cloth until I was safely on the dry front steps. I also didn’t notice that I still kept hanging onto the piece of shirt after Edward released his side. I got under the light and turned to smile at him gratefully. 

“Thank you for walking me home. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t arrived when you did.” “Don’t tell me you would have used your magic to light the way?” And I laughed, but Edward wasn’t laughing. “You’re a mind-reader!” He didn’t reply. Instead, I removed his jacket off my head and folded it on my arm. 

“I’ll uh…… wash this before I give it back to you; get all the dust out.” “You really are cautious, aren’t you?” “I just wanna be sure. Nothing wrong with that,” I proclaimed. Edward grinned mildly and shook his head. “If it’ll make you feel better.” “Seriously though, thanks Edward. I’m still……. really confused. Heh, but then again, when am I not confused? Being a young druid with no other wizards around is hard.” “So you’re the only one, then?” “I think so; the only one I know in Forks anyway. There’s a lot more of us in England.” “I thought you weren’t from around here.” “How’d you guess?” I laughed again. 

Edward watched me for a minute, then he spun around to go back out onto the street. “Get yourself warmed up. You have the body-type of a human, right? The cold can’t be good for you.” “I will,” but then again, why does he care? Ah, he just walked me home; I shouldn’t ask. “Good night, druid.” “Uh, Isabella…… my name’s Isabella Swan.” “Isabella…… Isabella,” he repeated twice; the first time as if to say it right, and the second as if to savour it. Eventually he nodded my way. “I’m Edward Cullen.” “That’s a nice name. Nice to meet you, Edward,” I smiled. We watched one another for another drawn out second before he took off into the darkness, leaving me there under the porchlight. Huh, Edward Cullen- Fork’s own resident vampire. My smile unconsciously began to flourish. 

Maybe it won’t be so bad, having a vampire at school. Or more likely, having “him” at school.


	10. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella makes a decision about Edward; after trying to wash his jacket, that is.

“Mmmmmmm, now how does one remove magic dust from leather?” I stood opposite Edward’s jacket which was resting on the washing machine. My forefinger was overtop my bottom lip in a pondering fashion. I suppose I could try and use magic to get it out…… but that seems counter-intuitive. To be honest, I love my dust- it makes me look a fairy in my opinion. But at times like this…… yeeeeeeeah, I kind of wish there was a way to turn it off at will. Sigh, unfortunately however, there’s not and I’m stuck with this now. 

I let out a defeated sigh. “I don’t know; I’ve never tried to wash it out of anything before. Maybe I should ask someone? But the closest sorcerer I know is Elise and he’s in Edinburgh now.” Elise is the wizard who created the portal between York and Forks as a favour to my mother. I really like him! He’s an ancient magus; so old in fact that his original body has shrivelled up and fallen off. He’s spirit has transferred to several different bodies- always animals which he gives humanoid hands. This time he took the body of an adult male deer, and even then, it was so old that the fur and skin had withered away. You mean to say that he’s waltzing around with a skeleton head of a buck, I hear you ask. Yes- yes, in fact he is. Wizards can’t transmit their spirits forever though; Mom thinks this’ll be the last body he ever has. Which means that’s he’s probably gonna die soon. But I don’t like to think about it- I care for him deeply and don’t want him to die. 

“If anyone could help me, it would be him,” I reasoned to myself. But I shouldn’t bother him; he’s busy in Edinburgh, which is like a three-hour train ride from York anyway. He didn’t have a phone and I don’t know any spells to contact him with. I guess I’m just gonna have to give it a try all on my own. 

I washed that damn jacket three times and the dust still didn’t come off! I never realized that the dust didn’t come out of my clothes when I washed them; the dust comes from me, so I thought that’s why they were always sparkly. But Edward’s coat……. “Man, I can’t give it back to him like this! Not only is it all glittery pink, but he won’t even be able to touch it,” I held it out in front of me for me to see. Ok, now what? Our washing machine isn’t working. I could bring it to a drycleaners…… but I have no idea if that’ll work either! “Well, I think the time has finally come, Isabella,” I placed the jacket down and took a few steps back. My hand rose up towards it, my fingers straight. Mom wouldn’t like it, but I am a wizard, after all. Here goes nothing! And a warm, tingling sensation zoomed out through my fingertips. 

“Isabella! What have you done to the washing machine?! It won’t stop filling with bubbles!” 

Oooooooook, that was not my wisest idea ever. I laid back on my bed in York, resting the back on my left hand on my forehead. Daddy and I just spent the last two hours taming the washing machine and hosing out the laundry room. Heh, it’s a miracle he didn’t ground me again, although he did forbid all use of magic in the house from now on. Not that I blame him. Teenage magic is raw and untamed; it’s basically uncontrollable. I’d love to practice spells and learn how to control it, but I need a teacher and they’re in short supply. Plus I have no idea what I’m doing on my own. I think one thing and the total opposite happens; not a conducive environment for learning. I sighed gravely. Guess I’ll just have to wait til I’m older……..   
It’s around then that I rolled onto my side, properly facing the wall. My eyes lowered a bit. Edward found me in the rain; he didn’t hesitate to give me his jacket or take me home. I caught sight of the piece of Edward’s shirt draped over my other pillow; I’d forgotten I’d left it there. His shirt…… My hand reached out to grab it. The shirt of a vampire…… 

Nugh, maybe I’m being stupid. Edward told me to trust him, that I wouldn’t hurt him…… but what he doesn’t know is that I’ve seen his future self; he reaches out to me in the future. Why, I have no clue. But he does, and I know for a fact that he’s aging then. Could that be it? Could wizard’s dust make vampires age? I’ve never heard of that before, but it could be possible. If that’s the case, then our dust is dangerous to vampires in that it takes away their immortality……. But how? That doesn’t make any sense. Could it be from prolonged exposure to magic dust? Could he have accidently ingested some? Or maybe it has nothing to do with our dust at all. Maybe he’s aging for a different reason. Elise is the one to ask about this; I should ask him. 

My thumb ran repeatedly over the cloth as I kept the side of my face buried into my pillow. But what’ll I do until then? I really……. “I'd much rather lose a shirt than lose you.” I really don’t want to hurt him in any way. I know what Edward told me, but I just simply don’t trust my powers enough yet. I blew up our washing machine, for crying out loud! If it is my dust that causes him to age in the future…… I can’t risk it. I care for his safety too much; there’s no room for me in his life just yet. Not until I know for sure…… I can’t hurt him; I can’t! My fingers wrapped around the shirt scrap, holding it tightly. 

I guess…… I guess I’ll just have to be patient for now, and……. and also accept the fact that if I am dangerous to Edward, I won’t be able……. I just can’t get attached- not yet. We can’t be friends, even if I wanna be. Edward’s image flashed through my mind, causing me to cling to the cloth even tighter. I can’t enjoy his company too much; not yet anyway. For there may be a time when…… I’m told I can’t be in his life, for Edward’s sake. 

If that’s what it’ll take to keep him safe from harm, I’ll do it without a second thought.


	12. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rosalie confronts Bella in the hallway at school.

I waved good bye to Daddy as I shut the front door. “Bye, Daddy! I’ll see you after school!” “Bye, sweetie. Have a good day.” “You too!” With that, I merrily skipped down the front steps while singing quietly to myself. “One song, I have but one song; one song only for you.” Bonus points if you get the reference! 

While approaching my truck, which Daddy managed to find and fix- supposedly- something in the distance caught my eye. Curious, I pondered as I set my backpack inside the truck and wandered over. Horror suddenly filled me as I realized it was a paw print; a gigantic paw print there in the mud…… right near our living room window. It looked fresh, like it was from last night or so. Oh boy, this is no ordinary wolf print……. It’s much too big for that. What’ll Daddy do if he sees this? And more importantly, is there a wolf sneaking around our house?! Gasp! But that must mean that they know I’m here and what I am. Oh…… oh, that’s not good. I guess the one named Jacob would know, but would he tell the others in his pack? After I saved him?! Well, anything’s possible. Now what? 

Well, the last thing I want is for Daddy to stumble across this. He’ll have his gun drawn so fast. My foot messed up print so much that it wasn’t recognizable. Ok, I think that’ll do it; now let’s hope there aren’t any more nearby, though there probably are……. 

“You still here, Bells?” My head perked up at the sound of Daddy calling me from the porch. He was eying me puzzled. “Oh…… oh! I was leaving!” “What’re you doing over there?” “Uhhhhhhhh, I thought I saw a bird! A really cute blue bird,” I said in the most innocent tone imaginable. Daddy must have bought it since he sighed and gently shook his head. “It’s just a bird, honey. Now you need to get going or you’re gonna be late.” “I’m going right now!” I raced up to my truck, quickly getting in. Daddy and I smiled at each other and I took off- my heart still racing. Now we have wolves in the area too; looks like my days of going out after dark are over.

I drove straight to school, parking at the end of the student lot. I got out with my backpack and dashed inside. I gotta get Edward’s jacket back before he gets here. After we FINALLY stopped the washing machine from exploding water and suds, I poured a whole bottle of bleach over the thing. If that had ruined it, I would have got Edward a new one. Thankfully it didn’t however, and what’s more, it actually worked! I work overalls, a bag over my hair, a facemask, rubber boots, and gloves to place the clean- yet smelly- coat into a double-plastic bag. It was securely in my backpack now, which I used to sneak it out of the house. 

“Now, which one is Edward’s locker?” I thought out loud in a whisper. I paused for a minute to pull out the bag, holding it over my arm. There wasn’t much time to figure that out, however. A stunned voice made me stop in my traces. “You! What are you doing?!” I looked to find a tall, blonde haired girl blocking my way roughly five feet in front of me. She was glaring right at me and had both her hands planted on her hips. Boy, did she look furious. And what’s worse, she’s also a vampire! I remember her from one in the group last week; the individuals summoning Edward over. Acting on instinct, I stepped backwards a few steps, unintentionally clutching the bag in my arm. Greeeeeeeeat, yet another one to deal with. How did I go from never seeing a vampire to running into one on a near daily basis? 

But mystery lady vampire’s glare locked onto Edward’s coat. “Where’d you get that?!” She demanded in much too loud a voice. “Uh, um, uh, E-Edward lent it to me,” I stuttered taken aback. This made her face go crazy. Her eyes widened while her lips curled to a vicious snarl. “You were with Edward? Really?” “Um, well I didn’t…… I didn’t seek him out, if that’s what you mean,” my foot took another step back. “What is wrong with you?! Are you trying to turn him to stone?!” “No! No, never! I don’t wanna hurt him; I don’t want to hurt any of you. I just want to give him his jacket back,” my free hand waved around in the air. 

She was having none of it. “A likely story. I’ve heard of “your” kind; you don’t give a damn about us.” “That’s not true! No, just please……. Here. Can you give this back to Edward for me?” “What makes you think I’d do anything for you?” “I don’t want to get close to him again before I know it’s safe,” I tried to explain myself- in vain of course. “Obviously it’s not safe! It’ll never be safe! Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but stay away from us! I’m not turning to stone from the likes of you.” “I would never!” At least not on purpose. “Why, you little lair……” my heart skipped a frightened beat when she suddenly stepped my way. No, she’s coming closer; too close! 

“I’m not gonna tell you again, sorcerer. Stay away from us!” “I-I will! I will!” Oh no, she’s getting closer! Her taking another dreaded step was enough to send my brain railing. I don’t want to hurt her; I can’t! “Stop! Don’t come any closer!” I shouted much, MUCH too loudly. It was loud enough to make her freeze. Everyone around us, students and teachers alike, stopped to gaze over at us. While her eyes were wide with confusion and mild horror, my breathing was still heavy. No, I have to get away; before she gets nearer, I have to get outta here! 

My feet spun right around, only for me to come face to face with the other hoard of vampires in the school. All of them, including Edward, were there at the end of the hall, ogling us with equally large eyes. The way Edward looked at me just now……. He didn’t look mad or even upset; he seemed conflicted. 

Without warning, the jacket still safe in its bag dropped to the floor and I took off down the opposite side of the hallway; I brushed past the vampire lady along the way. Everyone- human and not- watched me go with a sort of silence. I didn’t stop until I was securely outside, slamming the door behind me. While out there, I breathed heavily, letting my back fall against the door. My hand lifted up to my face. 

“I’m such an idiot…….”


	13. Jacob Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella meets Jacob Black.

I forgot that might also be a problem. Even if Edward and I ever do become friends, his vampire friends likely won’t approve. Judging by the way they treated me earlier, I doubt they’d ever be cool with me. My lips parted to let out a long, tired sigh. Though it probably wouldn’t be any different if I was an ordinary human. Unlike magus and werewolves, vampires seem to only get along with each other. We got on them at least. 

I was walking along the back wall of the school, ready to set off for home. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I actively avoided Edward and the other vampires since the incident. Consequently, I have no idea what happened to Edward’s jacket; I hope he got it back safe and sound. If his friends would let him touch it, that is. 

“God, what’s wrong with me? I should have never walked home with him.” While I was busy with my pity party, I failed to see the hunk of a man waiting in front of me. I blinked up, spotting this guy blocking my path. For the second time today…….! It took me a minute to recognize his face, but I did. Oh, did I! 

My foot took an instinctive step backwards as my arm slightly raised. Jacob! Jacob, the…… the werewolf I saved! He’s here, at my school……. glaring daggers at me. Jesus, why?! I never want to hurt anyone- why does everyone hate me so much?! He sure looked spiteful as he marched on over to me. Seeing him up this close, I realized how tall and muscular he is…… Well I guess that’s no surprise; he IS a werewolf. Black, thick hair; bronze muscles; deep, dark eyes. I gotta say: he’s beautiful! Almost if not just as hot as Edward. That didn’t keep me from flinching when he suddenly and quite unexpectedly took hold of my wrist. I winced under the pressure from his fingers. Honestly, it’s a miracle I didn’t scream or try and make a run for it. 

I would have shouted for help if it wasn’t for the death-glare he was giving me. “Don’t say a word,” he commanded in this deep yet weirdly silky voice. He wasn’t like Edward; he had this masculine edge, and I can’t say I didn’t find it attractive. What I didn’t like was being practically dragged into the nearby forest. How no one saw us, especially with vampires running around is beyond me. Jacob continued to pull my arm out of its socket until we were finally deep enough, out of sight from the high school. Here I am, being dragged about by a werewolf of all things; in any other case, this was probably a death sentence to a wizard like me. 

Once we were far enough from civilization, Jacob stopped marching. Before I knew what was happening, I felt myself being thrown against the trunk of this really large oak tree. My back made a loud thud and I winced. Jacob placed both hands on the bark, effectively blocking me. I stared up at him with large, terrified eyes. 

The wolf scoffed. “What are you playing at?!” His honeyed yet dominant tone rumbled. “I…… I….. I……” I really had no answer, mostly because I wasn’t “playing” at anything. This man could rip me to shreds with ease; I wanted to be extremely careful with my words, especially in this scenario. “Why’d you save me?! I didn’t ask for your help! Who said I wanted your help?!” “I-I’m sorry! I just saw you there a-and I panicked,” I didn’t say that with confidence at all. I was so scared and intimidated. Now I know how every girl in Indiana Jones feels.

“So you just “decided” to help a strange wolf in the middle of the forest, who’s being pursued by vampires?” “I……. uh……. yes?” My head lowered a bit shyly. “What is wrong with you?! Do you know what I am?! Do you know what you are?” “I-I didn’t really think about that,” I gasped. “You didn’t think about that? How could you not think about that?! Do you have a death wish?” He’s sure asking a lot of questions. I gotta calm him down somehow…… and calm me down too! This was insane! Not to mention super dangerous- to me. 

“I just….. I just didn’t want you to die! I wasn’t thinking about anything then- I just wanted to save you.” “Ha! You think those measly mosquitos could take me down?” Uh, yes? My eyebrow raised the slightest bit. Does he forget the huge gash he had right across his abdomen? He was gonna bleed out if I hadn’t arrived when I did, and let’s not forget the vampires. But I did the smart thing and kept my mouth shut. He still had me pinned up against the tree. 

“Listen, missy. When I need your help, I’ll ask for it. Got it?!” “I uh…… Yes! Yes, I understand,” my head nodded fastly. Seemingly satisfied with this, his one hand lowered; only one hand, mind you. I took the opportunity to shuffle out away from him, stumbling towards the road. He watched me, our eyes eventually locking. “I-I’m sorry, Jacob. I promise, you’ll never have to see me again,” my hands rose in front of my chest. “I never told you to do that!” “Uhhhhhhhhh………?” My jaw hung open confused. 

W-what does he want? I thought he’d be super happy with that! Jacob blinked as if he realized what he just said, glancing down for a second. Then his head gave a small shake and he straightened up. His hands balled into fists. “What are you doing here anyway? Don’t you know Forks is crawling with wolves and vampires?” “M-my father lives in Forks. I’m finishing high school here before I go to university back in the UK.” “Oh……..” 

A very awkward moment of silence. I rubbed the back of my head, accidently spreading my dust all around us. Jacob perked up and I flinched. “Sorry! I can’t……. I can’t control it.” “Yeah, no kidding,” he crossed his arms, smirking for the first time since we met. Wait, is he…… smiling? His head spun in such a way so to face me. 

“And here’s another question for ya. You wanna tell me why I smell human-leeches all over you?” “Human-leeches? Oh, vampires! Um, they go to my school; five of them.” “Really? Have they…… attacked you yet?” I gawked at him utterly bewildered. W-what’s…… what’s happening? Did he really just ask me that? Seriously? What am I missing here? My head shook without my realizing. Once again, he was satisfied with this, letting out a tiny sigh. 

“Yeah, well; I wouldn’t worry about them too much. We do a pretty good job keeping ‘em under our thumbs here.” Uh huh, cause that’s what I saw the other night- insert sarcastic eyeroll here. Still, I merely looked at him not verbally responding; I still was hesitant to upset him in any way. As a show of subservience, I folded my hands out in front of me and stood very still as if awaiting instruction. Hell, I’d do whatever he told me to do right now- I can’t let myself forget he’s a werewolf. Still……. if he really was a threat, wouldn’t he have killed me already? 

Jacob observed me for a moment longer before- to my astonishment- chuckling to himself. His hands shoved into his jean pockets. “W-what?” Where the heck did I get the nerve to ask that?! That was out of character for me. “You’re really afraid of me.” “Uh……. um…… w-well yes. I’m a sorcerer and you’re a…… a………” “A werewolf? Yes, I know what I am, and I also know what you are,” he came closer to me, still keeping his hands buried in his pockets. “R-right, so I think it’s best if we er……. part ways here.” “You think I’m going to hurt you?” Be careful how you answer, Isabella; don’t insult him. 

“I…… I don’t know you…… and……. and I think it would be best for me to be…… cautious.” “Oh, now you want to be cautious? You weren’t exactly cautious that night.” “That was different; I wasn’t thinking about myself then,” I countered using a flowing tone. His eyes narrowed onto me, his lips morphing into a thin, straight line. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking right now, and I’m not sure I wanted to. All of my doubts and reluctance melted however, as he all of a sudden flashed me the most dazzling smile. 

“You really…… were worried about me, weren’t you?” “Well yes; I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you,” I replied genuinely. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say this made Jacob blush……. a little. Either way, he turned his back to me, scratching his cheek self-consciously. “Don’t say things like that! We’re supposed to be enemies, remember?” “I may very well be your enemy, but you’re not mine; no one’s my enemy. I don’t want to hurt anyone.” 

That’s when Jacob’s feet spun around again so he could face me. “What kind of wizard are you? You look pretty pathetic from where I’m standing.” “If being “pathetic” means no one dies, then I’ll wear my pathetic label with pride.” This made him laugh; a whole-hearted, sincere laugh. I think that’s when I was finally certain that Jacob would not hunt me. Why would he be talking to me like this if he was still a threat? Then maybe…… maybe he was never a threat to begin with. The very idea made me grin. 

“I wish it was easier to hate you; this only makes things more complicated than they need to be.” “We don’t need to “be” anything, Jacob. I can leave here now, and you’ll never hear from me again.” He sighed heavily and sharpened his gaze. “Listen, I don’t want you wandering around by yourself here after dark. It’d be hard to explain to my pack why I won’t let them tear you limb by limb. So don’t make it unnecessarily hard for me, understand?” W-wait…….. I couldn’t stop blinking in absolute shock. Did…… did a werewolf- the mortal and ancient enemy of magus- say he’d protect me? From his own pack too? W-wha-……. I…… I….. I’m so confused right now! Isn’t his loyalty and duty always to his pack first? 

As if to be reading my dramatic facial expression, a grin crept across Jacob’s lips again. His arms folded once more; less intense this time. “Surprised, are you?” “More than surprised.” “You’re probably as surprised as I was that night you used your magic to help me.” These experiences…… are not on the same scale. And yet…… After staring at him for a long time, with the wind tussling my long hair out in front of me, I slowly, gently……. 

Jacob smirked. “Come on, let’s go.” “H-huh, where?!” My shoulders perked up. “Where do you think?” And again, I couldn’t stop from flinching as he reached down to take my hand; his grip was much softer this time. “You think that dad of yours will come running with his gun when he sees me?” “Y-you’re not walking me home, are you?!” My mouth let out a shocked gasp. His grin widened and started to gently tug me down the way. “Like I said, I don’t want you out here after dark alone. We’re not the only monsters lurking in the shadows in this forest.” “Jacob…….” 

“So would you relax a little? I’m not gonna let anything bad happen.” “But…… but why? You don’t even know me……..” The werewolf paused for a minute to peer back at me over his right shoulder. Neither of us said anything right away, but eventually his lips parted a sliver. I noticed his grip on my hand tighten a little. My eyes shifted from our clasped hands up to his serious and sincere face. “I….. I don’t know. I just want to- that’s all. Heh, doesn’t that sound familiar?” “But that’s different. You don’t have to protect me because I saved you.” “Ok, first off: you didn’t save me- I wouldn’t have died. Second: I’m not doing this because of that night. I just….. just want to, ok?! Don’t hassle me about it.” “O-ok! I won’t……. uh, thank you,” my eyes lowered. Thank you……. 

He’s a very strange werewolf…… but a kind one.


	14. Nightly Check-in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jacob comes to check on Bella at night.

I was laying back in my bed; this time in Forks. I don’t know why but ever since I saw that paw print outside our living room window, I didn’t feel good leaving Daddy here by himself at night. I had a sneaking suspicion it was made by Jacob, but just in case I was wrong, I wanted to be here in case there was a raid or something. You know, werewolves on the hunt for magic folk; just like they have for centuries. 

Well, maybe all except Jacob. 

I hadn’t seen him since he brought me home after school yesterday. I guess it would be hard telling his pack that he’s off to see a druid. And it’s not like Jacob and I are friends now or anything. That’d be almost as bizarre as Edward and I being friends- expect in an opposite way. Still……. I rolled onto my back so to stare up at the ceiling. My hand tenderly rested overtop my forehead as my eyes lowered. Still…….. 

I wish I could find a way to let them in. My fingers began curling ever so slightly on their own accord. I wish I was free to be friends with whoever I want, like ordinary girls. It’s ironic. I’m so incredibly gifted and yet, I can’t accurately access my powers. It’s like being the world’s best chef and never entering a kitchen. It felt useless to me. Aside from saving Jacob that one night- which my magic did on its own accord- nothing good as come of it for me. Elise opened the portal; I couldn’t do that on my own. I can’t do anything spell-wise by myself yet……. Seriously, what’s the point? I never wanted to be a wizard. Harry Potter makes it look so fun, but that’s only if you know how to use and control your magic. Real life doesn’t work that way……. 

While lying there and listening to A. R. Rahman’s You Complete Me score, it came to the part of the harp when a faint wolf howl could be heard from outside. It was accompanied by another howl; this one much closer to the house. My head lifted in such a way that I could see out the window; there was nothing but black outside. Curious though, I got up after another howl and went over to my window. Opening it let the cool night air into my room; I wouldn’t keep it open for long. I sucked in the refreshing, mountain wind before glancing down. And oh, how my eyes grew. 

There, near under my window and consequently the living room window was a werewolf. And not just any werewolf- Jacob! I recognized that fur pattern immediately. What the heck is he doing here?! He was simply gazing up at me with those gigantic brown eyes of his. Nothing about him was threatening; the exact opposite in fact. Huh, I couldn’t say for sure, but I’d wager he was here to check on me. Or rather, on the house; maybe the area. Maybe he wanted to make sure no other wolves were around and would accidently catch wind of my scent. Or perhaps he was on the lookout for vampires. Who knows? But I’ll admit, it made me feel safe right then and there. 

In a show of gratitude- despite whether he was actually scouting the area or not- I flashed him a warm smile. No, I was probably wrong; we’d only met the one time, after all. Still, it was nice to see it was him and not another werewolf sniffing about. That would definitely be bad news for both Daddy and me. Realizing this only made me smile tenderer down at him. We stared at each other silently for another moment before I sighed to myself. Well, somehow, in some way, I lucked out with him. Meeting Jacob could have gone in a real different direction. My head gave a single, soft nod before I backed up and shut the blinds. My hand lingered on the cord for a minute after the fact as I stood there motionless and staring off into space. Another organic smile bloomed on my face without my realizing……. 

Just like his father, Jacob has a soft side; I see that already……. no matter how hard he’ll try to hide it.


End file.
